Act III: Extinguished
Joyce hummed a tune from her childhood as she finished preparing some coffee for the kids. They hadn't eaten anything in a while, and frankly, they were struggling to stay awake. But they refused to go to sleep without meeting the heroes who had saved them from oblivion tonight. And one of them awaited patiently to fulfill the promise that was etched into the heavens above.
The doorframe creaked as Joyce stepped on it on her way out of the kitchen. It didn't surprise her. She had been assessing the cottage for the past ten minutes, and the place appeared utterly rundown. It had a roof, and it had windows, but Joyce had never seen such useless shutters in her entire life. The damned glass panes were missing. And then the rooms themselves looked like something from the Wild West movies that were designed for survival but not for comfort. Of course, Joyce knew that Hopper and Eleven needed each other and this broken-down shack provided them a shelter where they could brave the storm.
But she felt that it was the time for a change. Once Hopper came back, she would sit with him and discuss the next steps. Eleven was growing up to be an elegant woman, and she needed a feminine touch. She required dresses that were not oversized or undersized, she needed someone to help with her emotional outbursts, and most importantly, she deserved a mother. Hopper was an excellent defender and a terrifying guardian, but Joyce couldn't imagine a fruitful conversation between them about the cute boy she had fallen in love with and why he wasn't checking up on her every second of the day. She suppressed a laugh at Hopper's pathetic attempts to solve problems with brute force;
'Eleven, eat your food, it's getting cold.'
'Not till I see Mike.'
'Damn it, Wheeler! What have you done to my daughter?'
Joyce smiled when she remembered the boxes of Eggos stuffed in the freezer. People in the town were talking about the recent changes in Hopper's behavior, they thought that he had finally lost it. He was seen buying actual food and not the packed ones he used to eat. He nearly quit smoking and people also saw him buying candy for Halloween. To top it off, it was almost a year since anyone saw him in the pub which, in all respect, was his second home. No, he wasn't going crazy. Hopper was learning to become a father again. Eleven was terrific, even without using her heavenly powers, she could transform people around her and make them believe in the impossible, and for that reason, Joyce absolutely adored her. She served the coffee to the occupants of the room and sat down on the couch. Then she started thinking about the stories Will had told her after he recovered from the ordeal last year. What steps would be required to introduce Eleven to the society?
Dustin started to gulp down the coffee as fast as he could, then he took a small break to choke on some cookies and continued to burn his tongue on that bitter liquid. Lucas was whispering with the new girl, Maxine. Joyce casually glanced at them from the corner of her eyes, it was apparent that they had feelings for each other, maybe they were finally coming to terms with it.
Suddenly Jonathan came running out of the room where Will was sleeping. Joyce calmly looked at him, fully expecting to see some sort of monster chasing his eldest son. Nothing surprised her anymore.
"It's okay mom. Will's fine!" Jonathan said under his breath.
"Then?" Joyce had an uneasy feeling, Hopper! She hoped that he was okay. She couldn't handle losing two of the most important men in her life in one night.
Jonathan sighed, "Come with me."
The boys perked up, and Mike suddenly stood up, "Is El okay? I'm not getting a good feeling about her!"
Joyce tried her best to hide the shock that ran across her face. She knew about the strange attachment between Mike and Eleven, and the implications froze her blood. Jonathan looked at him, straight-faced and said, "She's gonna be fine, okay? Hold on."
"How do you know?" Mike felt nauseous as he asked the unanswerable question. It had been 6 Hours, 59 minutes since Eleven had walked through that door, 6 Hours 55 minutes since they hugged each other as if even death couldn't pull them apart, 6 Hours 32 minutes since they looked deeply into each other's eyes and Eleven made the promise, "You won't lose me."
Like the promise Mike had made to Eleven back in the classroom, the one that drove him nearly to insanity, the one that was never going to be kept, 'Until now.' Mike felt as if was back in the classroom where lights kept flickering and amidst the chaos, Eleven kept walking towards the monster with cold desperation in her eyes. He remembered all the memories he chose to forget. Then something snapped inside his chest. A burning pain spread from where his little heart kept beating, and he gasped as he remembered that feeling, 'A broken promise.'
He couldn't carry his weight anymore and sat down right where he was standing. It was a wonder he didn't fall face first onto the floor.
"I just know okay. Relax." Jonathan looked away.
Joyce noticed that, and it nearly stopped her heart. Almost mechanically, she followed Jonathan into the room and looked him in the eyes. She didn't need to ask anything to his son, the silent hollow stare narrated more than words. Joyce suddenly sat down at the side of Will's bed as her legs refused to obey orders.
"Is she….? Joyce was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown again.
Jonathan held her hand tightly, "No mom, she's alive, but she's not doing well. Hopper called to inform that he's bringing her here."
"He wanted to know if Mike is still around. He said that Eleven wanted to see Mike before…" Jonathan left the words hanging in the air.
Joyce suddenly felt a strong urge to snatch away the Supercom from Jonathan's hand and throw it across the room. She hissed, "Tell Hopper to take her to the hospital, nothing can be done here."
Jonathan's expression told Joyce that this suggestion was presented and declined.
"Then tell him to take her someplace else, I'll sneak out and come, but we can't let Mike anywhere near her."
Jonathan opened his mouth, but Joyce immediately shushed him. "You didn't notice, Jonathan. You didn't see Mike as I did back there. I have been a mother for far too long. If she's sick and something happens to her then that boy will lose his GODDAMN MIND," Joyce was silently screaming now.
"But…"
"The only thing that kept him going through the last year was the thought of seeing Eleven again, someday." Joyce fought to get the words out of her mouth, but she needed to speak them. Will had told her enough.
"Mike Wheeler spent an entire year calling out to her, every single day. And now that he found her, he won't be able to handle her…" Joyce also left the word hanging in the air. She was afraid of speaking it out loud.
"They're kids. Goddamn it!" Joyce was about to lose her shit, but she didn't care. She snatched the Supercom and pressed the button, but there was only static.
"Hopper, come in Hopper. PICK... UP... THIS... GOD... DAMN... PHONE."
Silence.
Joyce threw the blasted device towards the wall and it shattered to pieces. She felt so exhausted that she couldn't process information anymore. It felt like losing a child all over again. No, a stray thought nested in her mind, 'You're about to lose your daughter.'
She was about to lose Eleven, a girl who made her believe in magic. She knew what Eleven was and what she was not. Eleven wasn't a normal girl, she was simply remarkable. Some children are born into wealth, some are born into poverty, some are born into misery, some are born into contentment. But Eleven was unique because she was born into nothing. She never knew her birth parents, yet somehow had a father named Martin Brenner. The man did an excellent job of bringing her up. First, he stole her freedom, then he seized her soul, and finally, he destroyed her humanity. Eleven was doomed to a lifetime of misery and pain, hiding from society and using her powers to spread the suffering throughout the world. She was born to be a weapon, and she was destined to die as one.
Then one fateful evening she met three ordinary boys from a sleeping town named Hawkins, and then something extraordinary happened. She learned to trust, to laugh and to love. She learned to live for the first time in her life, but it was painful to witness how short that life would ultimately be. Eleven didn't want much from this world. She could've taken whatever she wanted by the sheer virtue of her enormous power. But she never wanted anything fancy, she didn't want a beautiful dress, or cool jewelry, or an expensive house. During her days in the purgatory, she only wanted to disappear from this world to end her suffering. A rather simple ask which was never fulfilled. But then she found Mike Wheeler, and he's the only thing she had ever wanted since that fateful night.
'All Eleven ever desired was a small tent to live in, some Eggos for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and someone to assure her that she was pretty,' it wrenched Joyce's heart to think about Eleven's wants. What She craved was a beggar's alms, and this fucking world couldn't even give that to her.
Joyce got up and observed Mike sitting outside with his head buried in his knees. She didn't know everything, but she felt it all. This night might take not one, not two, but three victims. Jim would probably shoot himself to escape the loss. Back then he had his wife to help him brave the storm, now there will be nothing left for him to fight. But poor Mike! How much torture can a child take? She moved towards him while fully expecting to pull the trigger of the gun aimed at the boy's head. Suddenly there was a loud screeching noise outside. Joyce ran towards the door as Mike jumped up and ended up throwing himself over Lucas. Dustin's face was thrust into the coffee, and he cried out in agony, "Son of a bitch!"
Joyce opened the door and saw Hopper climbing out of the car with a limp body in his arms. His face was covered by the shadow projected by his wide-brimmed hat, but his demeanor answered everything. Hopper had just committed the gravest sin in his life, and he wanted to run away from her gaze. He tried to hide in a secret place where his past couldn't find him. But he couldn't. The veteran inside him kept pushing him forward to perform his last act of valor. Hopper walked towards the cabin, and after a quick glance into what he was carrying, Joyce wanted to throw up. Eleven's face was covered in blood but looked pale underneath and veins popped around her eyes turning it into a dark hollow that was dug deep into her eye sockets. Pasty skin clung to her body, and Joyce could have sworn that she saw pink flesh beneath it.
"Move," Hopper said in a cold and indifferent voice.
Joyce pleaded, "No, please no, oh God!"
"Please, I can't…" The voice came from somewhere deep inside of the man who was now running on fumes.
He was going to collapse at any moment. Joyce looked at his face, but it was blank as if he was not even aware of his surroundings. It appeared as if he was the one who had died tonight. No, he was already dead, but it wasn't recorded yet. Reluctantly, she gave way, and Hopper carried his daughter in the room. Joyce followed in tow with tears crashing down her cheek. Hopper gently lowered Eleven on the couch and fell backward as if he couldn't carry her weight anymore. Eleven kept lying there without any sign of life. Joyce saw the blue ribbon wrapped around her wrist, and it hit her like a ten-ton truck coming through the fog.
"Sarah! You've accepted…" She choked up and looked at Hopper. There was no response, the man had just lost his second daughter too.
Mike ran toward him, "It's about time Hopper, thought you ran off with her again."
He grinned a smile of relief and stood beside Eleven. Then he clasped her hand tightly in his own and bent over to speak to her. Joyce wanted to scream, losing Will to a monster was nothing close to the horror she was about to witness, but Hopper stopped her. His eyes were bloodshot, "Believe," he whispered to the mother of two kids.
Mike took a moment to compose himself, it had been a long time. In reality, it had been an eternity since he held her hand and spoke to her as if the world didn't exist around them. Eleven looked sick. But he had seen her like this once before, and that didn't leave any good memories;
Flash; Eleven walking towards the monster, her eyes burning in a fury that could have stopped Hercules in his tracks.
Flash; Eleven disappearing in the upside down leaving a faint trace of ash that formed into a heart before coming down to rest on the ground.
Flash; Eleven freezing to death in the wilderness of the woods, Mike trying his best to keep her alive.
Flash; Mike slipping and falling to death in the bottomless depth of the abandoned quarry and Eleven's guardian appearing in the nick of time to save him.
No, all these nightmares were over now. Eleven was back, and she kept her promise. Mike glanced at her face and grimaced, she didn't have so much blood on her face back then. But it could be cleaned up after she woke up. The adults were here, they would help her become 'Pretty' again.
"Hey El." he said in a hoarse voice, "You... I..."
He was suddenly at a loss for words. Weird, that never happened before. He could always speak to Eleven no matter how dejected or sad he was feeling. He suddenly forgot where he was. He was pulled back at the moment when he had kissed her, and finally, he recollected the words he wanted to say.
"Okay, El. You're sick, like back then, but this time you'll be okay. We're all here, and there's no monster this time. I'm taking you home, right now. I still have the tent up, and my mom always keeps Eggos in the fridge."
"We'll eat lots of Eggos, and… and…, I'm sure Nancy would give you her dress, till then you can wear mine."
"You see, I've grown a lot taller than you in the last year. So, my clothes might not fit you properly, but I'll rig something up."
"You remember the Millennium Falcon? Yeah, my dad wanted me to sell it, but I kept it. You couldn't fly it last time when Dustin asked you. This time we'll go see Star Wars, and we'll eat popcorn, once you see how it flies you can do the Kessel run."
"I've always wanted to be a pilot, like Han Solo... You could be Princess..."
Suddenly Mike felt an odd sensation, how long had he been speaking? He looked back and was surprised that no one had approached them from the crowd.
"Hey guys, can you at least give a towel or something?" He spoke with mock frustration.
He saw Hopper slumped in the ground with his hat covering his face and he was shaking visibly. Nancy was crying while Jonathan simply looked away. Joyce was standing right beside Dustin, who sat on the ground mumbling something incoherent. Lucas held Max's hand so tightly that his knuckles were almost white. Max was also crying. Steve was resting with his back against the wall but kept his face covered with his palm.
'Who died?' Mike mused as he tried to guess what was going on. Then out of nowhere, something hit him like a spiked bat to his face. The realization came like a rushing torrent of water heading in the wake of a flash flood. As long as he had been standing here, Eleven hadn't spoken a single word. He looked at the couch and then saw her for the first time.
"NO... NO... NO... NO..." Mike screamed in pain. 'Please, no.' She wasn't breathing, her chest wasn't moving, and he couldn't feel her pulse. He held his finger near her nose. Nothing. He stood up but didn't let go of Eleven's hand.
"THIS IS A DREAM! EL CAN'T BE…" He shouted but couldn't find the last word that he was looking for. That's strange because he wasn't stupid, he tried to recognize the word that flashed by his subconscious at the speed of light, it rhymed with... 'Red?'
'No, she isn't ...' Something was preventing the word from coming into Mike's mind. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "She is just gone for some time. She will come back to me, like every damn time."
He desperately wanted her to disappear like last time. Then maybe she would come back to him, 'She PROMISED.'
He felt the darkness looming inside him and trying to hide away the past. It desperately wanted to erase whatever memories Mike had with Eleven because it could sense the impending doom.
'But those are good memories, right?' He wasn't sure anymore. He held her cold hands inside his own and felt numb and defeated.
'Lost? Nope, not that word.' He didn't feel the pain anymore. His sore ankle where the vine grabbed him didn't bother him, the cut near his shoulder didn't exist anymore. He felt fine. He turned around and suddenly felt tears streaking down his cheek. A familiar voice breathed in his head, 'DEAD.'
Mike collapsed to the ground. Suddenly two strong hands gripped him from behind.
"Got you big guy. Relax, I got you." Steve held his limp body firmly and lowered him down. The others finally looked away. A moment later, Joyce sat down beside Mike, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She wasn't crying anymore. For the first time in his life, Jonathan saw her mother surrendering to fate.
Mike still held Eleven's hand in a tight grip. Joyce sighed and started muttering to the unknown, "It'll be okay. We need you to be strong Mike. She wouldn't want you to be a weak right? Listen to my voice, Mike."
'MIKE?'
A scream raced through his consciousness, and the darkness inside his soul finally enveloped his mind.
The floor suddenly vanished as Mike dropped straight through a massive hole that appeared out of nowhere. He screamed all the way down but didn't fall to his death as expected. A gentle wind carried him slowly to the pitch black ground that ran towards the infinity. A moment later, Mike opened his eyes and stared at the sky above, there were no stars. With a shock, he realized that he wasn't feeling tired anymore. It was as if all the exhaustion was suddenly wiped out from his body by magic. He climbed onto his legs and started looking around. He was curious. Was he dead? It wasn't so bad, maybe the upside down was actually the afterlife? He looked around but couldn't see anything except darkness. He couldn't remember where he was but felt the immense loss hidden inside his soul. He sat down and put his head between his knees and started crying.
Suddenly he felt a touch on his soul. It was a crazy feeling as if someone was reaching into the deepest depths of his chest and bringing out all the darkest memories from the bottom of his heart. The unnatural force was destroying the barriers erected by his subconscious to save his sanity. It kept searching for something, then it discovered what it was looking for and retired as the external pressure slowly lifted from Mike's heart.
The floodgates were finally opened, and it all came back to him, the memories of Eleven; Halcyon days. There weren't many memories, to be honest, even Nancy probably had more with Steve. Mike had replayed them so many times in his mind that he could probably count the number of times Eleven had smiled while she was with him. They would've shattered his soul even a few hours ago, but the reaction was different this time. Mike didn't lose his sanity and did not go crazy, he smiled sardonically at his fate. Eleven was dead, and nothing mattered anymore, pain could no longer touch a person who had embraced it. Both Mike and Eleven had finally surrendered to their fate tonight.
He was sure that he had died along with Eleven, but even in the afterlife, they were not destined to unite. What was the belief he used to nurture when he was searching for Eleven?
'We'll meet, either in this life or the next and we'll be together forever.'
No, it was never meant to be. He finally accepted the fact as he stopped believing in fairy tales of oaths and promises. Mike sat down on the ground and looked at the sky above. Then he closed his eyes and whispered, "You can take Eleven away from me, but you'll never take away her memories."
It wasn't an oath, it was a challenge to the most powerful force in existence. Mike Wheeler had just declared war on Fate. Then he sailed into the unknown void in search of the greatest weapon forged by mankind;
Destiny.
